A Conflict in the Old Chateau
by KyuuX
Summary: Set before 'A Journey out of Mt. Coronet'. This story follows Wasaki as he tries to rescue a mysterious girl in the Old Chateau, only to discover a terrifying past.
1. Chapter 1

"Please, just help me. That girl is all alone, and she might be in danger."

"I don't care! Why should I be bothered with helping kids get out of trouble? This is very typical of you! You just have to be the one that helps every single person in need! I'm sick of it, Wasaki!"

"Where did that come from?" Wasaki looked into Noah's eyes, trying to convey his message over to him, but Noah had always been stubborn. Wasaki wanted to become his friend, but there was always some sort of wall that Noah had put up, and it blocked all of his attempts. "Look, just help me, please. You might just be the one that saves me if I get into trouble."

"But you never do," Noah said. "You were always the perfect kid."

The pair was standing in front of an old building deep inside Eterna Forest. The exterior was made out of bricks, and vines were climbing them. Some parts of the windows were broken, and the front doors were half open, creaking, and moving with the slight change in wind.

"Are you too afraid?" Wasaki said, as a last attempt.

"No," Noah replied. "I'm just busy, I want to go and get my next Badge, while you can stay here and chase imaginary girls."

Noah turned before Wasaki could respond, and began walking away from his rival. It was frustrating for him. He didn't view Noah as his rival, but rather someone who is on the same path. There is no reason as to why they shouldn't help each other out. Their end goals for acquiring the Badges and defeating the Champion may be different, but the means are still the same; acquire the Badges and defeat the Champion.

But either way, he still had to see if that girl was safe. He had seen a small girl walking into the house before running into Noah, and pleaded for them to go in together, in order to form some kind of friendship, but it was in vain.

"I really wanted you to accompany me," Wasaki shouted after the departing Noah. "We could have-"

Noah took a turn, disappearing behind the trees, and the sound of him running could be heard. Wasaki sighed, and placed his right palm on the door, pushing it gently. The creaking sent chills down his spine, and the cold air within gave him the feeling of emptiness.

"Come on, Wasaki," He said to himself. "Don't be afraid… That little girl might need you…"

He took several deep breaths, and walked. With each step, the floorboards lowered themselves and gave a creepy sound, and even though the carpet muffled it, the emptiness made it echo.

Then Wasaki looked down; there was no carpet. He felt dizzy, and thoughts of running out of the building ravaged his mind. The house was too empty and scary for him to venture on, and there was only one solution, to send out a Pokémon, and there none he trusted more than his starter, Chimchar.

He took off his backpack, and opened the Poké Balls pocket. There were four Poké Balls with hand drawn markings on them representing the Pokémon they were holding. They were amongst the other empty Poké Balls. Wasaki grabbed one of them, and opened it slowly to send out his starter.

A small fire monkey appeared. He stood on two small legs, his arms extended to a pair of very human looking hands, and instead of a tail there was a fire. His face had a tremendous smile extended across it, and his fur shaped into a single flame at the top.

Chimchar looked around instead of making any sounds, and felt as frightened as Wasaki did. "I'm scared as well," Wasaki admitted. "But we can get through this together!"

Chimchar nodded and raised his right palm while making a sound of approval, and Wasaki gave Chimchar the high-five he was asking for. "Let's go then," He laughed nervously. "Wonder what awaits us."

Wasaki put his backpack back on, and Chimchar climbed into the unzipped zipper, while keeping the top half of his body out, and putting his face over Wasaki's left shoulder.

The friends walked on slowly, and two staircases on both sides met them, but they seemed to lead to the same platform. Wasaki put his foot on one, to check the stability, and as hard as he pushed, there was no sound. He climbed slowly. Taking five seconds for each step, making sure that it was safe.

Chimchar's shivers could be felt through the bag, and he wasn't to blame. The deadness of the mansion combined with the slowness of Wasaki's moves made the atmosphere all that much creepier. Wasaki reconsidered fleeing, but he kept thinking of the girl that must be all alone, and probably afraid as well.

"Let's talk Chimchar," He said in an attempt to make the area seem livelier. "Do you remember when we first met?"

Chimchar nodded and recalled the day before Wasaki started his journey. Professor Rowan had been taking the starter Pokémon for a walk. Turtwig, the small grass Pokémon with the shell on his back munched on some flowers. Chimchar interacted with everything and everyone he saw. While Piplup, the blue penguin seemed sad about something.

"Cheer up, Piplup," Rowan said. "We will find you another trainer."

Chimchar was confused, but didn't give much thought to the subject, as a trainer approached them. He was a dark skinned boy with short black hair, and his eyes were a very bright shade of green. A normal backpack rested on his shoulders. His outfit was composed of a long sleeved white shirt, blue jeans, and a band that spelled Wasaki on his right wrist.

"Wasaki," Rowan said. "How are you?"

"Professor Rowan!" Wasaki seemed genuinely surprised. "What are you doing in Twinleaf? I'm supposed to come over tomorrow."

"I was just taking these little guys for a walk, and I assumed that it was too dangerous for you to venture out on your own without a Pokémon, so I'll give one of them to you right here."

"You came all the way for me?" Wasaki laughed as Chimchar jumped onto his shoulders and played with him. "I don't think there are any other trainers who are starting; I've asked everyone I know."

"There is one other person," Rowan said. "I believe his name was Noah."

"Noah?" Wasaki's face put on a surprised expression. "I would have never guessed. He rarely left his home after the incident with his father." Before Rowan could ask any questions, Wasaki changed the subject. "Anyway, are these the starters? They all look so good, I want them all!"

Hope began to shine through Piplup's entire body, as if he was shouting for Wasaki to pick him. "It seems that Chimchar is the one most outgoing, he would fit nicely with you."

Piplup felt his entire world crash again, and in a fit of rage, ran away, only to crash into someone.

"If I see Noah, I may just give out the starters a day earlier," Rowan laughed and turned to look at Piplup and Turtwig, but he noticed the missing water Pokémon and quickly traced the marks on the grass, to see him lying at the feet of someone very familiar. "What a coincidence! There he is now! Come here, Noah!"


	2. Chapter 2

"That's weird," Wasaki addressed Chimchar. "There is a picture of the girl right here; the one I followed. Do you think she lives here?"

Chimchar reached out to touch the picture that was hanging from a wall in one of the many rooms of the mansion, momentarily covering Wasaki's sight with the back of his hand when the picture suddenly blinked. Chimchar let out a high-pitched scream of fright that caused Wasaki's ears to ring and struggled in the backpack. The trainer lost his balance and toppled backwards. Luckily, Chimchar managed to get out of the bag before it smashed against the floor, and he ran for the half-opened door that was directly behind them.

"Chimchar! Wait!" Wasaki struggled to get up. When he had fallen his hand had sunk deep into one of the floorboards and getting it out became a problem. Wasaki got up to his knees and started pulling his hand out, which only led to more pain. Chimchar's screams could be heard outside as well as the sound of other Pokémon, seemingly attacking him. "Chimchar, come back!"

The door of the room was shut with a violent sound causing Wasaki to jump up. The wood scratched his hand and he started to bleed, but he was free at last. However, the pain was more agonizing than it should have been, and Wasaki felt dazed. His body dropped to the ground and the screams of Chimchar soon faded away along with the room around him.

His eyelids closed. The floor felt like a hard bed but his consciousness was still in the room. He knew that he was in the Old Chateau, that Chimchar had run off while in an unstable state of panic, and that some ghost probably locked him in. Who knew what would happen to him?

He was afraid. This must be the end for him. He should have followed Noah to Eterna City. What about the girl? Why should he be the one that has to help the girl? What kind of person would think that?

The questions raged in Wasaki's mind. What Noah said must be true; he had to be the one that helps every single person. Wasaki felt his body rising, this must be the end for him. It must be a ghost. It had to mean his demise.

Then a sudden shock of pain struck his face, and his eyes flew open.

Everything was a blur, but he was still in the room. Something held him against the wall, screaming at him, and apparently slapping him. It took just one more slap for Wasaki to return to reality. His sight cleared up and the sounds became clearer. He looked at the ghost, but what he saw was something else.

"Noah?" He said, confused. "Did you come back for me?"

"No," Noah said. "Chimchar brought me back. Your wrist is bleeding, and someone seems to have been hitting your face."

"That wasn't you trying to wake me up?"

Noah sighed and looked at Wasaki. It was him who woke him up, but it wasn't the main objective of the slapping. "Don't think about thanking me," Noah said as soon as he let go of Wasaki. "If it was up to me, you would be decaying in here."

Wasaki looked around the room. He was used to Noah's insults, combined with the fact that he knew why Noah was that way made him able to brush them off easily. His eyes searched the room once more. "You said Chimchar brought you here. Where is he?"

Noah turned his head as well; Chimchar was nowhere to be found. "He was here a minute ago," He said. "You should search for him."

"And the girl." Wasaki said as he got up.

"There is no girl!" Noah shouted frustrated.

"Her picture is right there," Wasaki pointed at the wall. Others would have a smug expression on, but he knew that it would only lead to more verbal attacks from Noah, and possibly physical. "See for yourself."

"It's just an empty frame," Noah sighed. "And even if there was a picture of a girl, it wouldn't mean anything."

Wasaki's entire body turned. The frame was empty. He was surprised, and kept protesting about the existence of a picture in the frame earlier, but Noah responded with accusing him of hallucinating while lying on the floor.

The differences between the two were varied, but that wasn't what put a barrier up, it was Noah, who constantly refused to become Wasaki's friend, even though the latter has been nothing but kind to him.

Noah opened the door and walked out. Wasaki followed him and almost begged him to help search for Chimchar and the girl, but Noah refused, kept accusing Wasaki of imagining things, and proceeded for the front doors.

Wasaki gave up. He redirected his attention to finding his Pokémon and the mysterious girl. What could have made Chimchar so frightened of the picture? He probably tore it while panicking, which would explain the empty frame. His chain of thoughts was interrupted by a loud curse and a bang. He ran out of the room he was in, onto the ledge looking over the entrance.

"The front doors are locked!" Noah voice invaded the house and filled every room of it. There was another bang sound, and another curse. "I'm stuck here!"

Wasaki walked over to the edge of the floor he was on and held on to the unstable wood, a mistake that would cost him soon. Noah was kicking the front doors, trying to open then, and his Prinplup was next to him attacking the door as well.

Wasaki leaned in. The wood made an unsafe sound, and bent a little. "Noah," Wasaki shouted at his rival. "Let's search for another exit if you really want to get out."

"I don't need your help! I refuse it, actually!" Noah once again put up his defense mechanism, blocking Wasaki from making any connection with him. "I'll jump out of the broken windows!"

"You'll cut-"

"Shut up!" Noah and Prinplup looked at the windows, and walked towards them. "They're fixed!" His voice tore through the house even stronger than his previous cries, and it made Wasaki cringe.

"Would you mind keeping it down?"

"Or what? I'll upset the ghosts? Grow up, Wasaki!" Noah picked up a nearby vase by grabbing the plant it was holding, which was weirdly fresh considering no one lived here, and threw it at the window. There was an even louder bang. The vase shattered, the plant almost injured Prinplup, but the window remained perfectly fine. Prinplup seemed to wait for an apology, but Noah didn't even acknowledge his existence in the room.

"You've upset the ghosts," Wasaki said, and quickly regretted his attempt at a joke. He had to change the subject. "Noah, let's just-"

"Don't tell me what to do!" Noah shouted at Wasaki, this time facing him. His eyes were full of anger. "Why do you-"

"Listen to me for once!" Wasaki retaliated and put even more weight on the wood. "You keep interrupting me! I've never done anything to you! I stood up for you when you were bullied as a kid!" With every word, Wasaki leaned more onto the wood. He was unaware of it; all of his thoughts were directed at Noah. "I have no idea why you hate me so much! We're practically on the same-"

Then the wood gave away, and Wasaki tumbled downwards, heading face first to the floor.


	3. Chapter 3

It would have been a normal day in Twinleaf Town, but the incident that occurred earlier that day in the Wilson household caused an unusual stir that disrupted the peace of the small town.

Aloha Wilson, the mother of the household was spread across the grass, crying her eyes out, being comforted by the other housewives, and shouting incoherent nonsense at her house. A few meters away from her stood her daughter, Amorette Wilson. She was fighting to hold back her tears, looking at her mother and feeling pity for her.

She was fourteen year old, and had tried hard to establish herself as the tough female that can't be shaken down, but this event affected everyone. In her arms, she held her little brother, Noah Wilson. The six-year-old boy was crying, he buried his head deep in his sister's arms, and occasionally looked at his mother.

The young Wasaki looked on the sight as he wondered what had happened. He was young and oblivious, and seeing the sight of an adult woman sobbing on the grass hysterically, hair unkempt, eyes wild, and clothes dirty, gave him the feeling that everything was not going to be the same from now on.

Beside Aloha was his mother; the one Wasaki got most of his looks from. She had the same black hair, only hers was longer, her skin was as dark as Wasaki's, and her eyes had a different shade of green.

That day at Twinleaf started it all. From then on, children teased Noah about the event and bullied him, and his sister had decided to run away after becoming sixteen years old, while his mother was constantly alone in the house.

Wasaki found it disgusting and sickening how some kids would rub such a tragic memory in Noah's face. He never participated in these acts, and never understood why until he was slightly older, when he started defending Noah, and would sometimes get beaten up for it. But Wasaki endured, nobody should suffer what Noah suffered. After all, there was nothing funny about bullying a kid whose father committed suicide.

The rush of water snapped Wasaki back to the Old Chateau. He would have collided with the weak wood floor and possible died had Prinplup not sent out a wave of water that carried Wasaki away from the floor. He was turned upside down, and the flow carried him over and smashed him into a wall. A rush of agonizing pain attacked Wasaki, but it was better than losing your life.

"I saved you once again," Noah sighed, even though he hadn't ordered Prinplup to do anything. "You better find me an exit."

"Oh… Noah…" Wasaki breathed heavily. "Couldn't you… Catch my breath…"

Noah squinted his eyes and walked towards Wasaki. He hated him with such passion that was extremely surprising, even to Noah at some points. He kept repeating to himself all the things he hated about Wasaki, and his hatred grew with each step.

Prinplup followed closely, keeping every step silent, hoping that Noah doesn't return him to his Poké Ball. He wanted to get to know his new trainer and become friends with him, just like Wasaki. But it was hopeless, there was always a barrier, the same one.

"I want to get out of here," Noah said. "I don't care about any girl. You better find me an exit."

The girl. Wasaki had forgotten completely about her, as well as Chimchar. "You refused my help since we were kids," Wasaki said. "But I will help you if you help me now, please."

Noah considered Wasaki's offer. The latter has been trying to help him out all along. It was fine to help him as long as he got something in return, which is getting out of this building. "Fine," Noah sighed. "I'll help you, but you better make this quick."

Wasaki reached out his hand, hoping that Noah would take it and help him to his feet, but his self-proclaimed rival turned around, only to notice Prinplup. "I forgot about you," Noah's tone harmed Prinplup's feelings and made him feel as if Noah didn't care about him at all. The Pokémon hung his head down, almost crying before being withdrawn to his Poké Ball. "You shouldn't be walking. Return."

Wasaki wanted to address how Noah treated his starter, but decided that it would be for the best if he kept silent; Noah was bound to learn his lesson when the time comes anyway. For now, they should focus of finding the missing Pokémon and the mysterious girl.

Wasaki pulled himself up from the floor. He straightened his clothes and patted them slightly to get the dust out, before realizing that he was drenched in Prinplup's water, which made the entire process useless. He wondered why Noah hadn't informed him, but when he looked at him and saw his smug expression, his thoughts were answered.

"I'm just trying to be your friend," Wasaki sighed. "Can't you just try as well?"

"Stop it with that friendship nonsense," Noah said. "Let's go."

"Yeah, we have to-"

"Stop repeating yourself! We know what we will do! It's like being around an obnoxious robot!"

That day at Twinleaf, it would have been a normal one. But Noah had blocked everyone he didn't know out of his life, believing that the only person he has to protect was his mother. He believed that he could no longer trust anyone. What Noah's father did harmed his mother more than anything else ever could, and Wasaki understood the need to fulfill a mother's need.

"Take care," Wasaki's mother had said to him. "You will be on the same path as Noah. Even though you have different goals, don't let them get in the way of your friendship. Noah might have locked himself away from all the other residents, but I want you to remind him that there are still nice people in the world. He is screaming for help, don't let him down, Wasaki."

"Don't worry, mother," Wasaki said politely. "I will try my best to become his friend." To the young man, his mother was the wisest person to ever walk on the ground. He had great respect for her and admired her strength through all the hardships she suffered.

But no matter how tough the exterior she put up is, she herself was screaming for help.


	4. Chapter 4

Noah Wilson and Wasaki Icnoyotl, two trainers from Twinleaf on the same path for different goals, and each one was oblivious to the other's.

Wasaki was an outgoing, friendly, helpful, and ambitious. He wanted to introduce Noah to the concept of friendship even before his mother instructed him to. But Noah had always been closed in inside his own world, and deflected all of Wasaki's attempts.

This was the perfect opportunity.

The pair was trapped inside an old building in Eterna Forest, and the only way to get out was to help each other. This was Wasaki's chance. It was his only chance.

"How many Pokémon have you caught so far?" Wasaki said in hopes of starting a conversation. It wasn't the most original one, but it a relevant subject to the both of them.

"I haven't given it much thought," Noah responded. "I don't care much about the number. What matters to me is if they are strong enough to win a battle."

"What if they aren't strong enough to win a battle?"

"Then I'll just deposit them."

"Why not train them?"

"I don't have time to deal with them."

"But what if-"

"Why do you ask so many questions?" Noah stopped walking, causing Wasaki to stop as well. "Let's just focus on getting out of here, I don't care about how your life has been since you left Twinleaf, and I don't expect you to care about mine."

Wasaki fell silent, not because of Noah's last remark, but due to distant cries reaching him. He turned his head around, rotating his body after it, while Noah just squinted his eyes and judged him silently. "I think I heard something," Wasaki said. "But I can't place where from."

There was another similar but louder cry that reached Noah as well, making him forget his insult. "That's a Pokémon cry," He said. "But it's not Chimchar."

At first Wasaki wanted to brag about his knowledge of his own starter, but resorted to playing along with Noah. "You're right," He said. "It's not Chimchar, but it does sound familiar. If only I could place it…" Noah breathed heavily out of boredom as Wasaki seemed to go into a trance-like state, trying hard to remember the cry, but not able to place it for a very long time. "I don't know what Pokémon that was, but I now remember where I heard it from," Wasaki said, and stared at Noah as if saying run. "I heard it when I was locked in the room."

Without warning, Wasaki ran forward, not knowing where to go, but determined to find his friend and the missing girl. Noah followed after him, but he was already falling behind. Wasaki had run up the stairs after his destination; the room he was unconscious in.

Noah dashed as well, but he wasn't as determined as Wasaki was, and his speed couldn't even hope to match Wasaki's. His rival somehow managed to keep calm in a situation where he won't be able. This made Noah think about his own starter, what would he do if he lost him. Probably move on.

Noah slowed down after he made the final step and managed to reach the top floor. Wasaki had already run off to the room, and Noah followed him. His expectations were very low, and a sudden wave of shock came over him. Wasaki was hugging his Pokémon, while a girl looked on with an expressionless face.

Noah's doubts about the missing girl evaporated. She was wearing a normal yellow dress, and her brown hair was tied in a yellow hair band, a classic Sinnoh girl look. Her head slowly turned to look at Noah, slightly tilting to the left, and her lips moved to say hello.

But no sound came out. Not even a whisper. He mouth moved to form a smile, but her eyes didn't change to match the new expression. The smile itself felt unreal, the deadness of the eyes just added to it. The girl straightened her face once more, and her face twitched slightly. She approached Noah, and reached out with her hand.

For a moment, he felt dead. The girl's hand touched his, and he could feel it, but not the touch itself. Flashes of when he was as young as her seemed to form to a slideshow in her eyes. Noah became engulfed for a second. The air became tight, and the room around him disappeared, though he could still feel the ground beneath his feet.

The girl broke her contact as soon as the room was gone, which made it return instantly. She took a few steps back and opened her mouth to scream, but there no sound, no change but for Chimchar. The Pokémon covered his ears and squealed in pain, Wasaki was frightened, and he held his Pokémon tight, desperately trying to comfort him.

Chimchar fell unconscious when the girl closed her mouth, and she frowned. Her message was delivered, as if she spoke directly to him.

"Hello, Noah. I am a ghost."

"We should get out of here," Wasaki said. "Chimchar's ears are bleeding. Do you live in Eterna City, little girl?"

"She lives here," Noah said, and quickly regretted his words. "That's what she told me."

The girl nodded, even though Noah had lied. "It is not safe here," Wasaki emphasized. "We have to get out, treat Chimchar, and decide what to do next."

"Fine, but how do you plan on doing that? The doors are locked, the windows are fixed, and this girl doesn't look like she wants to leave."

Wasaki turned around, holding Chimchar in one arm like a baby, and reaching his hand for the girl. "Come on, please?" He said kindly, and Noah got angry as he remembered how Wasaki was the favorite teenager to play with amongst the kids in Twinleaf. The girl reached her hand as well.

Wasaki blinked and almost dropped Chimchar. He took a step back to regain his balance, and looked at the girl, she was smiling again. "I…" Wasaki stuttered. "I think she's a ghost." His statement seemed very sudden and unrelated to their previous topic.

"She's not a ghost," Noah said and looked at the girl. "There is no such thing as ghosts. Dead people are dead, they can never come back, thankfully."

The girl continued to hold Wasaki's hand. She looked at Noah; her smile dropped then rose again, as if she was switching it to another person. He looked back at her in disbelief. There was no such thing as ghosts, he didn't want there to be, and the girl seemed to understand.

"How can we get out of here?" Wasaki asked, and the girl tugged his hand, then she reached for Noah's. At first he hesitated, but he gave her his hand eventually. There was nothing this time, except for what seemed like a prank. The girl pulled both of their hands together, and had their pinkies hold each other.

Noah pulled his hand away, disgusted, before Wasaki could even realize the situation, and the girl let out a silent giggle.


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Noah!" Wasaki shouted after the new trainer. "So you chose Piplup?"

"Yeah, why do you care?" Noah said, and once again, put up an invisible barrier. Wasaki was confused at first. He didn't know how to respond to Noah, as he was usually accepted pretty quickly into any group and made friends easily.

"My name is Wasaki Icnoyotl," He introduced himself and offered a handshake, which Noah took reluctantly. "I'm a new trainer as well. Chimchar is my starter."

The pair was standing at the edge of Twinleaf Town, both of them about to start his own journey. Noah was silent for a while, which made Wasaki feel uncomfortable and awkward. "Um… Do you want to battle? Just to… battle?"

The pair ended up trapped in the Old Chateau, still in the same state of semi-rivalry. "Do you remember when we first battled?" It was Wasaki's line that started the recollection of memories, and Noah hated it. That day he suffered his first loss; Chimchar defeated both of his Pokémon easily. "How did you manage to catch a Pokémon so fast anyway?"

"It was weak," Noah explained. "Didn't take much effort to catch her. But I don't use her anymore, that stupid insignificant Bidoof is rotting away."

Wasaki fell silent, in the same manner as he always did whenever Noah responded with a line that went a little over Wasaki's expectations. The girl was leading them somewhere, the one that Wasaki believed to be a ghost, while Noah denied it.

Chimchar was still in Wasaki's arm; he didn't want to return him to his Poké Ball in fear of what might happen if he isn't looked after. The fire monkey was sleeping, and his flame was missing. Wasaki had wiped away the blood from his Pokémon's ears, and the bleeding had stopped a while ago. But he was still in so much pain, which was evident by his constant shivering and cries that erupted during his sleep. Wasaki felt guilty; Chimchar wasn't the only one depending on him; his mother's life was in his hand as well. It was his reason for starting this journey.

A few years before starting his journey, his mother was diagnosed with a terminal illness that meant she would die in no more than five years, which she already surpassed, but the illness remains strong. Wasaki's father was no where to be found, as his parents divorced a couple of years before the illness was discovered, but knowing him, he would have gladly searched for a treatment with his own money. Defeating the Champion and getting recognized meant that Wasaki would be able to seek treatment freely, even if the chances of finding a cure were very slim.

The girl stopped and looked at Noah, who looked back with determined eyes and a bland expression. "I want to get out of here," He said. "I don't care how, but if you live here, show me the exit." The girl lowered her head in disappointment, and kept it hanging for while.

Wasaki observed the girl when Chimchar suddenly twitched, the girl's head shot upwards, and a slight hint of wind formed. She let go of Wasaki's hand and ran forwards. "Wait!" Noah ran after her, while Wasaki was the slowest, as he had Chimchar in his arms.

The girl went through a door to her right, and Noah followed. Wasaki tried to run faster, but his care for Chimchar's safety hindered him. "Wasaki!" Noah's voice tore through the house. "Come here! Now!"

Wasaki eventually reached and went through the door, only to see Noah surrounded by four black orbs engulfed in dark purple smoke. Prinplup and Buizel were already battling two of them, while Noah tried to defend himself against the other two. The girl was nowhere to be seen. Wasaki ran up to Noah, and they were back to back.

He grabbed two of his Poké Balls with one hand, as Chimchar was in the other, and sent out his trusted Roselia, as well as his latest capture, Silcoon. She was an oval shaped cocoon with several spike-like limps emerging from her, with a single red eye.

"Roselia, use Stun Spore! Silcoon, use Poison Sting!" Wasaki ordered.

"That's a poor choice in Pokémon," Noah said when he looked back at him. "And in attacks."

"Is it?" Wasaki turned around to see that Noah had shifted his attention back to his own battle. Prinplup managed to defeat one of the Gastly, while Buizel was on the ground, unconscious. "It doesn't seem like you're doing a great-"

What Wasaki saw impressed him, Prinplup shot numerous bubbles towards the remaining Gastly, sending it flying across the room they were in and directly through the wall. It didn't emerge for a while, which probably meant that it was out of the battle.

Wasaki turned back to his own battle. Roselia had managed to paralyze one of the opponents, while Silcoon's attack did nothing. "Return one of them," Noah said. "I'll handle it." Wasaki followed the order and returned Roselia to his Poké Ball, which seemed like another bad choice to Noah.

"Another BubbleBeam!" Noah ordered as soon as Prinplup took Roselia's place. The starter exhaled deeply once again, and sent a stream of bubbles flying towards the paralyzed Gastly, while Silcoon followed Wasaki's order of using Harden. It didn't take long for Noah to defeat the other Gastly, and he tried to catch one of them, but they sank to the floor before the Poké Ball hit any of the pair.

"Great job," Wasaki laughed, and patted Noah's back, much to his displeasure. "See how team work pays off?"

The pair withdrew their respective Pokémon, and Noah pushed Wasaki's hand away from him. "Where's the girl?" Noah asked and looked around; she was nowhere to be found.

Wasaki would have done the same, but Chimchar's sudden shivering and wincing caused his attention to shift to the Pokémon. "He's seriously sick," Wasaki said. "We have to get him taken care of."

"I know he's sick," Noah said. "But, if you've noticed, we're stuck here. And getting out will be impos-"

Noah was interrupted by a loud gasp that Chimchar had emitted. His shivering stopped, his flame erupted and went out again, and his breathing followed the pattern. Wasaki felt his Pokémon becoming heavier and his eyes searched for any sign of life.

"Did…" Noah said but stopped himself. He knew that if he had said anything else, Wasaki would have probably lashed out on him. The thought that Chimchar had died sent shivers down Noah's spine, and his heart started beating rapidly. There was no telling what Wasaki would do.


	6. Chapter 6

Wasaki spent minutes checking for signs of life, but Chimchar gave none. Noah just looked on in silence wondering when Wasaki would come to the conclusion that Chimchar had died. He gave up on waiting for Wasaki to realize it and decided to state it himself.

"He's dead," He said. "Let's just go back and find a way out."

"There's still hope," Wasaki said desperately and laid Chimchar on the floor. He looked at the still Pokémon while he talked. "I won't give up on him."

"But he probably gave up on himself," Noah said. "Just leave it. He was injured and didn't want to suffer pain anymore."

"Chimchar wouldn't give up on himself," Wasaki got up and turned around to face Noah while Chimchar lay on the floor where Wasaki had set him. "He's tougher than that. And why do you keep thinking about yourself? I could have just lost my friend! But that doesn't matter to you; you think of them as tools."

"Don't be angry at me just because your Pokémon decided to end his own life!"

"He's not your father!"

There was no time for thinking. Noah threw his entire body at Wasaki and tackled him to the ground. The wood made a weak sound as their bodies hit the floor; Wasaki's elbow creating a small hole as it collided. Noah held Wasaki down and delivered a punch while holding the latter's shoulder with the other hand.

Wasaki raised his free arm and knocked Noah off of him. The wood almost broke as Noah hit it and rolled away to avoid Wasaki's punch. The pair kept fighting, knocking over and breaking many items, and they didn't stop until they heard a faint cry.

By then, Noah had pinned Wasaki against a wall, but they both shifted their attention to Chimchar, who was missing.

"Not again," Noah sighed and pushed Wasaki further into the wall before letting go of his shirt. "Control your Pokémon!"

"You don't get to tell me how to train my Pokémon," Wasaki said with bitterness in his voice. "You know nothing about that."

Noah stared into Wasaki's eyes, fighting the urge to punch him, while Wasaki looked back with hatred in his eyes. "I don't want your help anymore," Wasaki said. "I'll find Chimchar and the girl on my own, you can go and find your precious exit."

Wasaki left the room and walked off to find his Pokémon and the ghost girl. Noah sat on the floor for a few minutes, examining his bruises. He had a significant pain in the left side of his ribcage, a small cut in his right fist, and a few other minor aches that were surely to go away soon.

He tilted his head back and rested it against the wooden wall. He got rid of Wasaki, but the price of remembering his father was too great. He hated Wasaki even more just for bringing up the subject, which was always one that he didn't want to remember.

He took off his backpack and opened it. Noah rummaged through it for a few seconds before producing a small Band-Aid. The cut was small, but he hated the sight of blood. Whenever he saw the red liquid, he would remember the night before his father killed himself, which ultimately led to him remembering his father hanging from the ceiling.

Now that Wasaki started the rush of memories, Noah didn't attempt to stop them. That day was followed with a quick string of his mother attempting suicide for two years, followed by his sister running away from home, his mother becoming a body with no soul, and all the times he was bullied.

He could have easily went on his way and forgot about the past yet again, but remembering the hardships gave him some sort of a self-harming pleasure. It was just more motivations for him to continue his journey. As he sat in the silence, he feared for his mother. She was alone at home, waiting for his promised visit.

For a few minutes, he sat alone, eyes closed, waiting for some sort or inspiration. His stamina was gone by then, and sleep overcame him quickly. At first there was darkness, followed by a light, then more darkness that drowned out the light. He was walking in the dark, following the light, but it would disappear whenever he got close to it. He ran forward, with no specific destination.

His eyes flew open. The room around him was different. Noah looked around, his head turning rapidly from side to side, and realised that he was hanging upside down. There was a bed directly beneath him, so falling would be safe. He pulled himself up to cut whatever was holding him.

An old man wearing a suit held on to his ankle, and seemed to be coming out of the ceiling, even though there was no hole or any sort of opening. He noticed Noah staring at him in shock, gave a grin and let go of him before disappearing.

Noah screamed as he fell down towards the bed. His body ached when he smashed against it, causing the wood to break and Noah to fall off of the mattress and onto the ground. He looked up in hopes to catch a glimpse of the man, but he was no longer there.

Noah got off of the ground and searched for a door, but found none. "I'm done with this!" he shouted at no one in particular. "You can't keep me in here!"

He kicked a wall with his right leg, causing it to give out a weak sound. Another kick, and another, and another, and his foot went through the wood. The pain was severe as many splinters of wood caused him to bleed. He resorted to using his hands, and began expanding the hole.

Outside were trees, grass, flowers, and a small hint of sunshine. He smashed against the wall with his entire body, causing the wood to bend back a little. Noah was bleeding from many spots, but the idea of finally getting out mattered to him more than the idea of his safety. Another smash and Noah flew out of the hole and into the grass.

He landed on his left shoulder, which gave a breaking sound and ached him more than anything he has ever experienced. He pushed himself up to his feet using his right hand, as he didn't know what might happen if he used his left. He looked back to see the Old Chateau with a hole in the second floor; he didn't realise he was that high up.

He circled around the building, and managed to see the front door standing at the end of a path of grass. Noah began walking away, towards the way out of Eterna Forest.


	7. Chapter 7

Chimchar had to be alive. How else would his body have disappeared? Wasaki walked around the Old Chateau for hours, but failed to find any sign of a living being, not even the Gastly attacked him. But he was determined on finding his starter.

The doors were open, and the windows were broken. It seemed that everything has returned to what it once was. Wasaki had no doubt that Noah was out of the Old Chateau; he must have headed for these doors once they separated. He held on to a Poké Ball containing Roselia, his first capture.

He had captured the Pokémon as a Budew shortly after his first battle with Noah, which he won. He had evolved into a Roselia before entering the Old Chateau, and after his second battle with Noah, which he had also won.

Wasaki kept on walking with no specific destination; all he wanted was to find Chimchar and the girl who had disappeared seemingly just to play. He hated the feeling of loneliness that overcame him, and sending out another Pokémon would be too dangerous. Losing any of them in the same manner in which he lost Chimchar would just cause more trouble, but the house scared him for some reason.

Finally, he decided against it, and returned Roselia's Poké Ball to his backpack. HE could easily get out, run away, and continue his way, but that would mean giving up, something he hated.

He thought about his family, something that he had done too many times. His parents' divorce affected him to that day. His father was probably back in Johto, where he was born. His mother was still back home in Twinleaf Town, and her sickness was making her grow weak with each second.

Wasaki had started this journey for his mother, even though she wanted him to stay with her in what she called her last days. There must be a cure, and he must find it, even if it meant doing what he never thought he would ever do; become the Champion.

It was the same goal that Noah had, but for different reasons. Noah wanted to prove himself strong to everyone, and possibly reunite his family. Eterna City was the next step to take, specifically the Gym Leader. Defeating her and acquiring his second Badge will push him closer to achieving his goal.

But what happened before happened again. Chimchar blocked his way and indicated for him to go back to the Old Chateau.

"I'm not going back," Noah said. "If you want to rescue Wasaki so badly, go and tell him to get out. There's nothing there. I don't care what happens to him, and if you don't move out of the way, I'll kick you away. And I don't care what happens to you if I did."

Chimchar put on an angry face, and almost seemed to want to attack Noah and drag him back into the Old Chateau, but he was obviously outnumbered. Noah had Prinplup and four more Pokémon ready to be used against him. Noah moved to the right, in an attempt to walk past Chimchar, but the Pokémon blocked his way again, pointed at Eterna Forest, and yelled at him.

Noah sighed and did what he promised to do; his right leg connected with Chimchar's entire body, sending the small Pokémon rolling out of the way. Dirt covered his body, and he suffered many cuts as well as a large bruise. He got up slowly and blocked Noah's way again.

But before the trainer could kick him again, his body fell to the ground motionless. Noah stared for a few seconds to make sure that Chimchar wasn't going to make any surprise moves, and walked away, leaving the injured Pokémon behind him.

He disappeared into the horizon, while Chimchar lay in the dirt of Route 205 for minutes. No one passed him and nothing seemed to notice him but a few wild Pokémon who occasionally nudged him body and fled away to hide in the tall grass of behind some trees.

They knew what was happening to Chimchar, and because of that, knew that they couldn't help him. His body stayed motionless, but the air around him started to distorted as some sort of figure exited his body. The ghostly air soon formed to the shape of a small girl, who looked at the wild Pokémon and smiled with deadness in her eyes.

That caused all of them to flee back to their hiding places. The girl picked up Chimchar, and started walking back towards the Old Chateau. It was a real shame that Noah didn't come back; his mind and thoughts were far more interesting than Wasaki's.

His insecurities, fears, happiness, goals, and everything else that was visible, they were all very engaging and intriguing. Interacting with him was better than with Wasaki. But she realised that using Chimchar for the mere goal of trying to get Noah to go back to the Old Chateau was wrong. His body was injured, even though he wouldn't be able to feel the pain.

She managed to evade all the trainers on Route 205 and reached Eterna Forest, where her home, the Old Chateau, was. As soon as she entered through the front doors, Chimchar's body shivered, and he sprung back into action. She set him down on the floor, and he eventually got up to look at her.

She pointed towards the upper floor, and Chimchar nodded; it must be where Wasaki was. The Pokémon ran off to find his trainer, while the girl stood in front of the door. She knew that she had let her chance of getting out of here go once again.

The man formed in front of her and grinned. She wanted to cry, but her dead eyes didn't allow it. The man reached his hand and grabbed hers before pulling her after him. She hoped that Wasaki would rescue her, even though it was obvious to her that only Noah could.


	8. Chapter 8

"Don't go too far, Wasaki," she said. "You'll get lost."

"Don't worry, mom!" he responded. "I will just be exploring!"

The mother and her son were in Floarama Town on a vacation. The divorce had caused Wasaki's mother to go on tour around Sinnoh. They were traveling with many other families using the same company, and Floarama Town was the next stop.

"Floarama Town is vivid and scented," the tour guide said, but her voice was fading away as Wasaki explored away from the group. "As you can see, the citizens here care for flowers and…"

And her voice disappeared completely as Wasaki reached Route 205, and eventually Valley Windworks. Numerous construction workers were constructing wind turbines and dealing with wiring as well as more complicated processes that Wasaki didn't understand at all. The wind didn't make it easy for them to build whatever it was they are going to build, but they kept building away, which Wasaki admired.

"Hey, kid!" a female voice shot at him, and he turned around to face the female. "What're you doing here?"

"I was just seeing the building of the… thing."

The girl had curly blond hair, striking hazel eyes, and wore a dirty dress. She herself was covered in dirt. She wore what seemed like large shoes missing their heels, her arms were covered in dust, her dress was a little torn at the end, and her legs were smeared with mud.

"What's your name?" she said demandingly, and caused Wasaki to speak out quickly in fear of being hit by a girl.

"Wasaki. I'm from Twinleaf Town. I'm here on a tour. I'm-"

"That's enough info!" she laughed. "I'm Belladonna. I'm from Floarama, but unlike the other… idiots there, I don't like flowers."

She was no older than Wasaki, but her dominance seemed to be that of an adult. "Wanna go see something weird?" she said. "We're gonna have fun."

"Sure!" Wasaki said, almost forgetting that she was a complete stranger. "I came here for fun!"

"Follow me, boy!" Belladonna shouted as she ran past him, and sneaked onto the building site. Wasaki followed her; it was a new adventure for him. Breaking the rules gave him a rush of adrenaline that nothing else did.

The pair hid behind a building that was still being constructed, where Wasaki decided to learn more about the mysterious girl. "Can I just call you Bella?"

"No, that's an ugly name."

"How about Donna?"

"Uglier."

"Belladonna is too long to say every time I say your name."

"How about… Lado?"

"Why?"

"It's like Lady, but better."

Wasaki chuckled at the thought of her considering herself a lady, which in the mind of the child, was a very stuck-up, dress-wearing, fancy food-eating, rich woman whose hair towered above her but never reached her high ceiling in her huge mansion.

She sneaked into the building using an open window, when Wasaki heard a familiar voice.

"…is the Valley Windworks," the tour guide said. "As you can see, it is still being constructed, but it will be an environment-friendly energy source. The ideal location of these wind…"

Wasaki started freaking out; his mom was surely near, and she will punish him for sneaking into a restricted area.

"…building is still being constructed as well," the tour guide said. "It will-"

"Of course it's still being done!" Lado shouted, drawing everyone's attention to her. "We can see it!"

"Are you with the tour?" the woman said. "We have access to the area, but not to the building itself, please come out before you endanger yourself, honey."

The open windows and door left Lado and Wasaki visible for everyone, including his mother, who didn't seem to notice him yet. Lado took the chance to flee out of the scene, and when Wasaki tried to follow, he tried over a wire and fell to the ground.

He closed his eyes in pain. All the voices that reached him were a mix of alarm sounds, people gasping, running, and his mother screaming his name. He could see the red flashes through his eyelids, and he felt someone picking him up off of the ground, which he resisted at first, thinking that staying down was the safest thing to do.

He eventually gave up, and opened his eyes to see his mother's face; she was holding him. Her arms wrapped around his entire body in a defensive way, her body was hunched over him, and her eyes were rapidly searching for a way out. She feared for her son's life as she looked around, which Wasaki didn't want to risk.

She suddenly threw him away from her, closer towards the door, as something had attacked her. The wire that Wasaki had tripped on was cut in half, and as soon as the wild end connected with her body, she let out an agonizing scream, one that would haunt Wasaki, and her body dropped to the ground as the power was shut down.

A construction worker picked up Wasaki and ran out of the scene, while the kid shouted and cried for his mother. "We turned off the power before she could suffer any serious electrocution!" he shouted, but Wasaki ignored him. "She will be taken care of! We called for help! Don't worry!"

Shortly afterwards, she was diagnosed with a terminal sickness that was surely to kill her. They were informed that the cure was still being developed, and that she will most likely not live to see the day when it becomes effective. A few years later, Wasaki decided to start his Pokémon journey, become the Champion, and use his resources to fund and find the cure for his mother's illness.

But what he was in wasn't helping. The Old Chateau had Chimchar and a girl that needed his help as well. He thought about what Noah had said again; it must be true. He had to be the one that rescues everyone.

And he felt like it. It was his duty to help everyone. He couldn't imagine himself being responsible for another incident of that kind, which is why he took it up to help everyone in need. Chimchar's cries disrupted his thoughts, and he looked back to see his starter rushing towards him.

His smile grew wide, and he opened his arms to hug his starter as he jumped towards Wasaki. "I'm so happy to see you again," he said. "And I won't let you get lost ever again."

He almost cried at the rush of his moment. The thought of losing everything he wanted to help scared him, but Chimchar's return gave him hope for the missing girl, and his own mother.


	9. Chapter 9

Everything seemed to be going exactly how Wasaki wanted it to. Chimchar was back, and the girl arrived mere minutes later. The doors were open for them to leave, and the girl led Wasaki to them. She indicated for him to go out and continue his journey.

"Why don't you come with us?" Wasaki said when he realised that leaving wasn't the girl's intentions.

She shook her head and indicated for him to go out once again. Wasaki sat on the ground next to Chimchar and faced the girl. Her face seemed to be human again; she was happy that Wasaki decided to stay with her, even for a few minutes. He knew that she was dead, a ghost, that she wasn't human anymore, and getting out of the Old Chateau would make no difference. But it was a tragedy for a young girl to die this young.

But her existence also gave him hope. It meant that when his mother dies, she wouldn't be fully gone. Wasaki had come to terms with the fact that his mother will die someday, even if he does find a cure. The possibility of her being around, even in a different form, gave him hope.

"I hope you don't mind," Wasaki started. "But how did you die? I will understand if you refuse to tell, or show, me what happened."

"I can tell," the girl spoke, much to Wasaki's shock, and caused Chimchar to freak out a little. "My voice is ghost. He is Pokémon; hears what you can't." Wasaki understood what she was trying to say, and for Chimchar's own good, he returned him to his Poké Ball.

The girl faced Wasaki. Her face became more human, and some of her features were finally shown. She had an innocent childish face, her eyes were eerie, and her skin was very pale.

"This, my home," she said. "Papa's Papa did it. Mama made trees. I play outside."

Her voice gave Wasaki some calm feeling. He felt as if he was inside a safety bubble no one can burst. Her presence gave the Old Chateau a certain aura that caused the house to become less haunted, and livelier. She seemed to captivate everything around them. The wood beneath her, the doors, windows, furniture, grass, trees, and Wasaki, everything orbited around her.

"We have helper," she said. "She play with me outside with Pokémon. I play with Pokémon too. One day, she leave to go to home. We have new helper. But we die. One day, he become angry. Kills Papa and Mama. I hide in room, but then Pokémon comes to me. He stay in shadow. Laugh. Cold. Helper comes in room to kill me. But Pokémon kills me. I stay here, home."

Wasaki didn't know what to say. She lost her parents at such a young age, and had to have with fear consume her until the moment she died. Yet she refuses to leave the place, or this grave, because it is her home. An admiration for her came over Wasaki; he would never be able to live in his home after his mother dies. It would be too much of a reminder of her.

"I'm very sorry this happened to you," he said. "But you can leave. You can come with me and see Sinnoh. I'm sure it has changed a lot since you were… alive."

The girl stayed silent. She shook her head again. It seemed as if the aura of safety was gone, and that everything returned to normal. The deadness returned to her eyes, the Old Chateau reformed into the haunted place it was, and Wasaki felt alone again.

"Will you stay here forever?" he asked, feeling sad for the girl, who nodded in response, but didn't talk. He started to miss her innocent voice. "Well, I'll visit you."

She smiled, and Wasaki copied. He looked the doors to his right; he knew that he had to go out now. Staying any longer was not going to bring any good; he had found Chimchar, discovered everything there is to discover about the Old Chateau and the girl. Wasaki got up slowly, and the girl did the same, seemingly to send him off with an act of politness.

"I'm serious," he said. "I will visit you."

The girl nodded again and smiled, but it faded away when the doors shut themselves with a violent sound, with one of them hitting Wasaki's shoulder and sending him crashing to the ground. His backpack softened the fall, but his arm hurt him greatly, causing him to hold it with his other hand. The girl turned her head rapidly and walked backwards.

Wasaki's vision adjusted to the sudden darkness, and he saw an old man approaching the little girl. She was scared, and begged Wasaki for help with her eyes. He got up slowly, ignoring the agonizing pain in his shoulder, and stood in front of the girl. A faint laughter echoed in the building, the old man faded in and out of existence, and the darkness increased, as if no light could enter the building.

He kept walking towards the pair, while Wasaki struggled to find words; what could he say to a ghost? The man reached his hand, and it went through Wasaki, and although he felt no difference at all, he was too scared to do anything. Then the old man's arm retracted, pulling the girl through Wasaki with it. His fingers wrapped around her face while she struggled to get away.

And they disappeared. The building was dark, the laughter faded away, and Wasaki stood in front of the locked doors, staring at nothing. He felt another rush of pain down his spine, followed by a beam of light that filled the house behind him; the doors had flung themselves open. He fell to the ground again and struggled to get up again. He tried to ignore the pain, but couldn't; he was going to pass out.

Someone must protect him. He reached into his backpack for any Poké Ball, forgetting that he kept them with his empty ones. He pulled out a random one and threw it in front of him. The light began to form into a Pokémon, but his eyelids closed before he could recognise the Pokémon.


	10. Chapter 10

The room was small. Wasaki's eyes opened slowly, struggling against the light, even though it was dim. He was on the floor. His head pressed against the wall behind him, while his feet were almost at the door in front of them. Beside him was a Pokémon he didn't recognise at first, but then realised that it was the one he sent out to help him.

Silcoon had evolved, but admiring it right now wasn't an option; the Pokémon was worn out and tired, and Wasaki returned it to the Poké Ball as soon as he mustered the strength to. Chimchar and Beautifly were both too weak to help him right now, and that left him with just two Pokémon. Magikarp was surely too weak to battle, as she was just a newly caught Pokémon, leaving all of his hopes in Roselia.

He reached into his bag, struggling against the pain, and sent out Roselia. The Pokémon managed to somehow make the room seem less empty and provide Wasaki with the sense of security he wanted by just being there.

"I don't know what happened," he said. "We need to find a way to help the girl."

Roselia nodded. Wasaki placed his hand against the wall for support as he brought his entire body to his feet; Beautifly must have been protecting him against opponents rather than herself. Attack marks were obvious all around his outfit and exposed skin. His right leg ached him the more he walked, and a large bruise around his knee was visible through the torn clothes. He exited the room and walked through the hallway he grew to recognise.

Roselia followed behind him, carefully choosing his steps and constantly on the lookout for any attackers. "Did you hear that?" Wasaki suddenly said and stopped walking, causing Roselia to copy his actions. The trainer turned his body around and started rushing in the opposite direction he came from, all while wincing in pain as his feet pressed against the floor harder than ever.

He ran for what seemed like hours, and Roselia was always there to hold him from falling to the ground with leaves that hovered next to Wasaki, and the pair eventually reached a single familiar room. Wasaki stopped by the door and breathed rapidly, mostly due to fatigue, but also due to the memories and nervousness. It was in this room that Chimchar had escaped due to something in the painting of the girl scaring him. He slowly pushed the door open, and his nervousness seemed to channel to Roselia, who pulled at him in a desperate attempt to convince his trainer that getting out of the Old Chateau was the best thing to do.

But Wasaki ignored his Pokémon and stepped into the room. Everything was normal at first, but Roselia refused to step in the room. He walked forwards, towards the painting of the little girl, which was back where it was. Roselia called out for his trainer in another desperate attempt to convince him that getting out was the best solution.

"It's fine, Roselia," Wasaki said. "We will get out as soon as we make sure that the girl is safe."

He turned around to exit the room, but the floor suddenly creaked. His right foot sank in, causing him more pain than he thought imaginable. Roselia ran forwards, but the ground gave away completely, causing the pair to fall to the floor beneath them.

Roselia directed his blue rose to the floor, and it shined with a bright colour. The wooden boards split apart, and the grass of Eterna Forest crept in slowly and created a field of leaves that softened the fall for Wasaki and Roselia.

"Thanks," Wasaki said. "But I don't think I'll be able to walk anymore. I can't feel my leg at all."

Roselia turned his head around constantly, while hid body followed. He looked around the room, scanning every item in it, and searching for something that Wasaki couldn't recognise. He wrapped multiple leaves around Wasaki in order to protect him from whatever was in the room.

"It feels a little cold in here," Wasaki said. "Do you think it's because-"

Something in Roselia triggered when Wasaki mentioned the word 'cold'. He summoned more leaves and targeted them at Wasaki's shadow. The floor crumpled against the attack, and some splinters even hit Wasaki. The shadow moved away from Wasaki, and Roselia's attack followed it into a corner, all the while smashing everything in the way. Vases and painting hit the ground and shattered, chairs flipped upside down and the table lost a leg.

Then a single leaf hit the corner of the room as if it was an arrow shot by a professional. There was a scream of pain, followed by a Pokémon flying towards the other side of the room. It seemed like a ball of a purple colour, but the Pokémon became easier to study when it got up. The most striking features were the red eyes.

"It's Gengar," Wasaki said. "The Pokémon that killed the little girl."

Gengar grinned and walked forward. The old man appeared behind him, while the girl was at the far end of the room, behind the two. The man pointed at Wasaki, and Gengar rushed forward.

"Magical Leaf again, Roselia," Wasaki ordered. "Be careful!"

Roselia summoned some of the leaves that cushioned Wasaki's fall to his side, and fired them at Gengar. The attack glowed with multiple colours as it smashed against Gengar. The Pokémon's rushed approach came to a halt, and he fell to the ground momentarily, but managed to get up once more. The man pointed at Wasaki again, and Gengar continued the attack, while Roselia braced himself to protect his trainer.


	11. Chapter 11

He wanted to, but Wasaki could not bring himself to collect his thoughts. The rush of events spiraled him out of sanity momentarily, and the battle before him, as much as his life depended on it, was not his top priority; the ghost girl was. Saving her became his everything that was important to him, even though he had no idea how to do it.

A cry of pain snapped him back into reality. Roselia was on the ground in front of Gengar, whose fist was fading a shade of purple away; it must have just attacked Roselia. It was his fault; ordering an attack should have been the first thing to do, and Roselia being his last Pokémon, besides Magikarp, almost erased all kind of hope.

Thankfully, Roselia was still able to battle, and he brought himself up again, ready for an order.

"Stun Spore!" Wasaki said desperately, but his order proved useful. Roselia put his two flowers together and extended his arms to Gengar. The pollen from the roses mixed in different quantities, and a yellow ball formed between them.

Roselia grinned; everything happened in a matter of seconds, and the close proximity meant that the attack was sure to hit. The pollen exploded, sending yellow spore flying towards Gengar face. It traveled towards Gengar's close body, and attacked vital parts of it, causing the paralysis to take effect. The old man seemed displeased with the turn of events; Wasaki had the upper hand now.

"Leech Seed!" he ordered again, and although his thoughts were a little more processed, the focus remained on the girl. Had she been a normal girl, Wasaki would have run towards in the most heroic and foolish manner in an attempt to save her, but being a ghost guarded by another against her will meant that anything could happen.

He returned his focus to his Pokémon. Roselia was waiting for another order, while Gengar suffered in his paralysis with seeds that sucked his energy attached to him. Wasaki had been lucky enough for that turn of events to happen, but he had to rely on more than luck.

"Magical Leaf!" He ordered Roselia's most powerful attack, even though Gengar wouldn't receive much damage from it; but it was Roselia's strongest attack.

The Pokémon summoned more leaves towards Gengar, though this time he used the trees outside the house. The leaves broke through the windows, shattering their glass, and flew towards Gengar's back.

The old man muttered something inaudible, and Gengar seemed to react. Even though Roselia's attack collided first, and caused Gengar to almost lose it's footing, the Ghost used the push of the attack to land another Shadow Punch.

His first glowed with the same shade of purple it did before as it became more solid. It was hanging to the side, and instead of pulling it back, Gengar pushed it directly towards Roselia's midsection. He let out another scream of pain, and fell to Wasaki's side, twitching and shaking.

Wasaki reached out to his Pokémon, and found him very cold; Gengar was trying to kill it. Roselia got up once again, and seemed prepared to continue the fight, even though his legs were shaking and struggled to keep up his weight.

At that moment, Wasaki felt ashamed. Roselia was able to stand after so many terrible attacks, but Wasaki was still on the ground, amongst the leaves Roselia summoned to save him from the fall.

"You don't have to keep fighting, Roselia," Wasaki said. "You're too tired."

The Pokémon looked at his trainer with pleading eyes, and he suddenly fell to the ground; Gengar had managed to attack him again, and Roselia was no longer able to defend his trainer. Out of fear for his life, Wasaki returned him to his Poké Ball, and waited for some turn of events that would help him.

And then it happened.

The windows and wall behind the old man began creaking loudly, but Gengar blocked Wasaki's vision. The sound grew louder and louder, and there was a shattering sound.

Everything was too familiar to Wasaki. The place was flooded with water, and he was dragged away by the current towards the wall behind him, and smashed into it. He couldn't remember when he experienced this before, but the sight brought the memories flooding back.

The water slowly crept away, to reveal a Prinplup standing in front of a struggling Gengar.

"Metal Claw!" a familiar voice ordered. "You better do what I taught you to!"

Prinplup's wings solidified to become steel, and he jumped towards Gengar. He drew them together, and crossed them before his body. As soon as they were close enough to hit Gengar, Prinplup slashed the first one across the Pokémon's body, causing it to fly back and fall violently against the ground.

"Now!"

Prinplup slashed the other wing.

The ground beneath them suffered an obvious mark across the surface, but Gengar wasn't there; the Pokémon had disappeared as soon as the second part of Prinplup's attack started.

"Are you going to dust off your clothes now as well?" he said.

"Noah? Why did you come back?"

"It's not important," Noah said. "This is the last time I save you. You can either go out with me, or stay here with your non-existent ghosts."

Wasaki looked at the area behind Noah. Everything was misplaced due to the rush of water, and the windows were all broken with glass scattered all across the wooden floor. The wall suffered no damage, at least not ones that can be noticed from that distance. Some of Roselia's leaves were stuck to Wasaki's clothes, and he remembered that he was still on the ground.

"I think I'm ready to go out," Wasaki said as he got up. "I'll just collect some of my stuff."

"I'm not waiting," Noah said, and began to leave. "I want to battle you as soon as I get my second Badge."

Wasaki waited a minutes for Noah to leave through the broken windows before he collected his scattered items and placed them in his bag. Even though he felt like it, he had to check whether the girl was safe or not. The ghosts in the room were no longer there, but he knew that she had to be around the house somewhere. The most important part was that the area seemed safer. There shouldn't be any more threats to Wasaki or his Pokémon; it was just one last detail to take care of before he continued his journey.


	12. Chapter 12

Chimchar, Beautifly, and Roselia were all unusable anymore, but Wasaki was convinced that he would no longer run into any problem or opponent, though he still worried about the fact that his only available Pokémon was Magikarp. He kept on walking towards the room, which must've been the girl's room when she was alive, since it had her portrait.

He left the room he was as the last traces of water were absorbed by the exposed grass underneath the wooden boards. Noah must be gone by now, and he had to quicken the search in order to meet their scheduled battle. He rushed forward as fast as his damaged body could carry him. Climbing the stairs proved just as painful as running, but he moved forward towards the room he wanted to reach, trying his best to ignore the pain.

Chimchar would have tried to help him in this situation, and Beautifly did help him when he was injured, she even evolved to protect him, and he regretted missing the moment when his first evolution happened. Roselia also played a big part in protecting him when he was weak. Even Noah's Prinplup saved his life.

Wasaki remembered what Noah had said again. He had to try and help everyone but himself; he became a burden throughout the time he was in the Old Chateau. He again recalled how three of his Pokémon fought for him until they couldn't anymore, how Noah expressed great dislike for everything Wasaki was doing, how his actions in the past caused his mother to count the days to her death, and he stopped his walk up the stairs.

He could've put his Pokémon or Noah and his Pokémon in the same danger he put his own mother in. He sat down on the steps, put his head between his knees, and started crying. Instead of helping one dead girl, he had endangered a lot of lives, including his own. His mother would be devastated if she had to spend her last days alone, and he knew it was true no matter how self-centered the idea was. The whole journey was to help her, but she could still die while he was away, only for her body to be discovered by a random person who didn't know the kind of person she was.

He blamed himself for everything that had happened and even beyond it. His mother's divorce could not be related to him at all, but he still blamed himself in that moment. Wasaki had to stop his journey; his mother needed him. And at his weakest moment, he felt a hand resting on his shoulder. He lifted his head up, and then turned it around. The girl stood on the steps behind him and showed concern in her eyes.

"Thank you," she smiled. "Visit."

And she faded, but her touch was still on Wasaki's shoulder. He didn't know what to think; he did help the girl he set out to, and he somehow managed to do it with no causalities. The feeling was familiar, but very strange. A few simple words made him forget all the self-doubting thoughts he filled his mind with. Wasaki wiped his tears away and got up; he had to carry on, he had to find a way to save his mother. Giving up was not an option.

He limped down the stairs, which was just as painful as climbing them, if not more. The doors were slightly open, and the woods outside invited him. He walked slowly towards the enterance, and walked out onto the grass of Eterna Forest. A few more steps, and he spotted the exit towards Route 5. It was worth it; saving the girl, however it was done, was worth it.

His thoughts kept him company until he reached Eterna City, and he rushed towards the Pokémon Center, where a worried nurse noticed all the injuries he had sustained and guided him towards a room where he could rest. But all these events didn't matter to him, and he regarded them as a rush of minor occurrences that could not compare to what had happened in the Old Chateau.

The day was ending, and battling Noah has to be done now. A clock indicated that he had spent more than two hours resting on a hospital bed that was designed for injured Pokémon. Noah must have finished his battle more than an hour ago, and he must be waiting for him outside the Gym.

Wasaki took off his torn clothes, changed his bandages, and put on a different outfit he had in his bag. Everyone was healed, and this battle should be perfect for him to move on with his journey. He walked out of the Pokémon after a friendly conversation with the nurse who helped him, and as expected, Noah was waiting for him.

"At least you got out of that house," Noah grinned. "I don't care what happened to you there; I won't allow you to beat me again."

"Don't worry," Wasaki laughed. "I should still be a challenge."

"You never was a challenge," Noah said, even though he had lost to Wasaki two times already. "Prinplup, this is your chance to redeem yourself!"

The familiar Pokémon emerged out of the Poké Ball, and prepared for a relentless assault on whatever Pokémon Wasaki send out. "Chimchar!" Wasaki called out as he threw his Poké Ball. "Come on out!"

"Bad choice! BubbleBeam!" Noah ordered as soon as Chimchar was on the field; he had to win, no matter what had to be done.

Prinplup seemed to share his trainer's thoughts. He inhaled deeply, and let out a fast stream of bubbles as he exhaled a second later. Chimchar jumped and ducked some of them, but the majority popped against the Pokémon and sent small droplets of water flying towards the Pokémon. Prinplup grinned; this was a sure win.

Chimchar's attacks were almost useless against Noah's Pokémon, and he was defeated quickly. "You did good, Chimchar," Wasaki said as he returned his Pokémon. "Roselia, finish this!"

Noah grinned; this was Wasaki's strategy all along, to take out Prinplup and leave both of the trainers without their strongest Pokémon.

"Prinplup, return," he withdrew his Pokémon and produced another Pokéball. "Staravia!"


End file.
